Trump’s hostility with CNN’s Jim Acosta has been brewing for some time

The controversy swirling around CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta and President Trump has been a long time coming for those familiar with the pair’s tense war of words in press conferences past.

Acosta was stripped of his press pass last week after nearly having his mic swiped by a White House intern during a press conference. The White House then shared what appeared to be a doctored video sped up to make it seem as though Acosta was aggressive toward the intern.

Advertisement

“CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person,” Trump told the journalist. “You shouldn’t be working for CNN. When you report fake news, which CNN does a lot, you are the enemy of the people.”

As buzz continues that a lawsuit from Acosta is in the works, take a look back at Acosta’s run-ins with the Trump administration.

January 2017: Then President-elect Trump shot down Acosta’s questions at a New York press conference by branding CNN “terrible.”

When Acosta continued to ask for the chance to give a question, Trump doubled down on his rejection, telling Acosta, “I’m not going to give you a question. You are fake news.”

February 2017: In another press conference exchange with Acosta, Trump reevaluated his repeated claim that CNN was “fake news” – and determined that actually, the network was “very fake news.”

April 2018: Things got tense at this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll after Acosta shouted questions about DACA at the president as he sat with wife Melania and son Barron.

Brad Parscale, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, later wrote on Twitter that Acosta should have his press credentials pulled after his behavior at the event.

“He yelled questions, as he continues to do at inappropriate times, while the President was coloring books with children. Disrespectful and would have never been allowed previously,” he wrote.

Acosta tweeted in response that he was just doing his job as protected by the First Amendment.

July 2018: Acosta was repeatedly heckled by Trump supporters at a presidential rally in Florida, and became the target of chants like “Traitor,” “CNN sucks!” and “You’re a liar!” The cries were met with joy from the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., who wrote on Twitter that hearing the chants “never gets old.”

Acosta was less amused.

“I’m very worried that the hostility whipped up by Trump and some in conservative media will result in somebody getting hurt. We should not treat our fellow Americans this way. The press is not the enemy,” he wrote on Twitter.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said that while she condemned acts of violence, the administration “ask that people act responsibly and report accurately and fairly.”

July 2018: White House aides repeatedly urged Acosta to wrap up his questions about Rudy Giuliani and Russian collusion while covering a photo opportunity between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

July 2018: The president opted to ignore Acosta’s shouted questions at a press conference, in which he wanted to know if the president would continue calling the press “the enemy of the people” after five employees were gunned down at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis.

Though he didn’t get a response, Acosta later said, “Listen, if they want to send me to hell, I’ll still be shouting at the devil. We have a job to do. I’ve said this times before and I’ll say it again. They can kick us out of the briefing room, they can kick us out of the White House. We’re still going to do our jobs.”